I have written quite a bit in the past about the importance of providing feedback to team members. In fact, in a recent blog post, I termed feedback as "the glue that holds alignment together."

But what happens when feedback just doesn't work?

When performance isn't meeting expectations, and a team member has been provided with consistent and transparent feedback, the next step in trying to help a team member make behavioral change is constructive discipline.

One of the costliest mistakes senior leaders make is drawing a clear line in the sand between what is personal and professional.

The challenge that this presents is that when leaders don't know their people at an individual level (a personal level), they never truly understand how to "lead" them.

Ahhh overwhelm. It's that moment in time where you feel stuck. Where there is so much going on you don't know where to start.

The stories that play inside our heads are ones that sound like:

"I have too much to do. I'll do it (the important thing) tomorrow."

"There are no jobs out there."

"I don't have time to develop knowledge about new topics, ideas, and legislation"

"I'm not experienced enough for that role"

"It's faster to do things than to train others to do it"

I have talked a lot about the importance of alignment in my past newsletters and blog posts and how alignment creates focus, clarity, and accountability. But, the glue that holds alignment together throughout the year is...feedback.

In Parts 1 and 2, I focused on how new managers can begin to make the transition from being a team member to being in charge.

Making the transition from peer to manager can be challenging.  Change of status and responsibility when you transition into a leadership role can affect both personal and work relationships.   I first encountered this type of challenge and opportunity as a young army officer.   One day I was playing golf with my buddy, and the next day he was reporting to me as my Operations Officer.

As I work with organizations and teams around the country, I see two sets of common symptoms that may indicate a new manager is struggling.

If retaining talent is not high on your list of concerns in 2010, then it should be.

I have seen way too many executives and hiring managers think that with the down economy and high unemployment rate there’s no need to worry about employee retention. This line of thinking will lead you down a slippery slope, especially as the economy begins to recover.

One of the quickest ways to crush an employee's morale is by surprising her with feedback during the annual review that she never received during the performance year. I see this over and over and over again.

Difficult conversations are difficult because they are uncomfortable for most people. But, there are techniques that you can learn to provide feedback in a way that will help an employee improve without coming across as marginalizing.

Ah the holidays. A time to enjoy family and friends, perhaps some time off from work, and even a chance to reflect on the year's past and what's to come.